A top sports journalist has blasted the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for its "shambolic" media facilities at England's plush Pennyhill Park Hotel base in Bagshot ahead of the Rugby World Cup, which gets under way next Friday (September 18).

"But the cut-price, third-hand, heavily stained marquee held up by rusting stanchions installed in the nearby car park to house the world’s media for England press conferences is an embarrassment for the host nation."

Sale said the tent was noisy, ill-equipped and stank of sewage, while lamenting a lack of access to the team's training centre.

"As well as bizarrely providing church hall trestle tables and scout hut chairs for the media workroom, plus inadequate toilets and heating and no catering facilities, the half-finished interior isn't properly divided so outside noises disrupt press briefings," he ranted.

The media facilities at Pennyhill Park Hotel (Image: Getty Images)

Sale continued: "A strong smell of sewage at the entrance to the tent sums up the whole badly planned project, which bears no comparison whatsoever to the excellent England media facilities the FA laid on in Rio for the football World Cup.

“England head coach Stuart Lancaster denies any involvement in the media marquee, saying his influence was purely in the performance centre next door where the media are banned from entering, as they are from the players’ hotel.

“England Rugby 2015 have been made fully aware of media concerns but say they can only make the same improvements for England as they would all the other competing countries.”

Sale's rant sparked some reaction on social media, with England prop Joe Marler posting this rather wonderful response.

Meanwhile, The Bear pub just down the road in Camberley cheekily added.

A spokesman for England Rugby 2015 said: "The England team are in camp and the facilities currently are a matter for England, who chose a temporary structure as their media facility.

"By the time Pennyhill [Park] becomes an official team base on September 14, it will look and feel different."

An RFU spokesman added: "‘We are at the testing phase and are confident all facilities will be ready for the start of the tournament in two weeks’ time."